It’s the Hump Day Reading List! To start off, we look at a case where a police officer used his trauma kit to save his own life; a story of a man who shot a neighbor under less-than-perfect circumstances; the horrific incident that started one man on the path to an armed lifestyle; the myth of racking a shotgun; taking apart a classic Savage pistol; a comprehensive look at what cover is and isn’t; what you know determines what you ...

Last week I headed out to the range to do some testing. Not practice, really (though I did use the opportunity to get in some realistic practice drills), but ammunition testing.

Now you’ve probably seen YouTube videos about ammunition testing, complete with gelatin blocks (or their synthetic equivalent) and breathless talk about penetration and expansion. That’s not the kind of testing I was doing; instead, I was testing some new ammunition in two autoloading pistols that I carry for personal defense.

Why ...

I’ve really got something for everyone today! Starting off, there’s Greg Ellifritz with an article on how to handle people following you; Ian McCollum looks at some incredible engraved revolvers; a way to ease into the preparedness world; a reason why some rifle cartridges destroy barrels; some advice on what to do when your child reaches for your gun; avoiding social violence by being smarter than the other guy; ideas for outdoor security lighting; and all you ever wanted to know ...

This week I’ve collected quite a few gems for your edification! First up is a look at AR-15 barrel life; then an essay on why the change that comes from carrying a handgun is positive; a link to an article on the pitfalls of the ever-popular slide-mounted red dot sights; Ian McCollum has a video about early lever-action rifles; why you might want to learn how to use a map and compass in this modern age; Claude Werner tackles the ...

For this Hump Day we have an educational look at an actual attempted home invasion — from the intended victim himself; some resources for learning how to deal with an active shooter; some historical revolvers from a famous revolver shooter; trying to shoot a hole through titanium; a seasoned shooter finds out difficult it is to shoot a small gun; a blogger takes me up on a challenge; Greg Ellifritz analyzes what to do if you’re seated in your car ...

A question I’m frequently asked regards the value of non-firearm projectile launchers like Airsoft and BB guns as training devices for defensive shooting. This is a discussion that doesn’t lend itself to soundbites; there are some important principles which need to be understood to be able to gauge, for yourself, the value of any non-firearm alternatives.

When we talk about the physical skills of defensive shooting we’re talking about things like drawing the gun, getting it indexed on target, manipulating the ...

If you keep a firearm for home defense (more specifically, defense of yourself and others while in your home — we don’t use lethal force to defend mere property), it’s entirely possible that there may be more than one person who is authorized, capable of or likely to need to use it. You may have a spouse or responsible children who would need to use a firearm to defend themselves and the family should a threat present itself. It’s under those ...

More goodness for you to peruse! Today we have an article on police response times to 9-1-1 calls; a look at how to prevent “the runs” and why you need to; buying a gun for your wife and why you shouldn’t even go there; Ian McCollum looks at a Mexican autoloading rifle (no, this is not a joke); a newspaper actually presents a good article about the use of deadly force in response to a break-in; avoiding a carjacking; and ...

Hump Day brings us more knowledge! This week, we look at kids who’ve protected themselves with firearms; Ian McCollum with a very unique “automatic” pistol; Claude Werner looks at another negative outcome, this time based on unreasonable fear; tips for handloading ammo for your AR-15; why crowds are dangerous, and what to do if you’re in one; Greg Ellifritz has some lessons from a recent series of terrorist attacks; the repercussions of not having a good teacher; and the fallacy ...

Another great collection of articles for you this week! Rob Pincus shows you how to take your guns with you when flying; Ian McCollum takes apart a Savage .45 pistol; a look at why safety isn’t in the gear you carry; how to recycle range brass for reloading; a detailed explanation of what “going gray” really means; how to keep your defensive handgun in perfect operating condition; and why 100-yard headshots with a pistol don’t make any sense. Read, learn ...

This is SHOT Show week, but that hasn’t stopped me from bringing you another crop of great articles! First, Greg Ellifritz explains castle doctrine; then a PDN video about improvised weapons; after that, a look at shooting rifles to extreme precision; some talk about intuition and why it’s important; Ian McCollum looks at a gun so crude no one wanted to shoot it; I found a great article about flashlights and their beams; and The Tactical Professor talks about gunhandling ...

Today I bring you some thoughts about getting older; Ian McCollum has a video about a Savage that isn’t a rifle; Greg Ellifritz talks about jammed guns in active shooter incidents; I found a great review of a neat lever-action rifle; Tiger McKee has some pithy words about the gear and training you really need; and a superb article about using your mouth instead of your gun.

You’re going to age. Have you factored that into your defensive training?

I remember the days of the 1994 “assault weapons” ban: new magazines over 10 rounds were illegal, and even large double-stack 9mm pistols were required to come with 10 round magazines — and any replacements or additionals we bought were limited to 10 rounds, too. “There era of the ‘wondernine’ is over”, opined writer after writer.

Along with that came a new phrase from those picking which gun to buy: “if the government says I can only carry 10 rounds, they ...

The first Hump Day List of 2016! To celebrate, I’ve found information on avoiding stalkers; a very forgotten Colt pistol; Ian McCollum talking about some odd rifles from a familiar company; Greg Ellifritz dropping some knowledge about dealing with hostile crowds; Rob Pincus helping you plan ahead; Claude Werner showing how to avoid negative outcomes; and a video about training to overwhelm a shooter even if you don’t have a gun yourself.

I’ve come to the belief that one of the most profound questions (courtesy of Rob Pincus) you can ask anyone who purports to be a defensive shooting instructor is “what have you changed your mind about?” This isn’t an easy question to answer, and most people you’ll ask will try to wiggle their way out of it: “well, of course the world is always changing, and I’m committed to keeping my knowledge and skills in pace with those changes, blah ...

Hope you and your family had a safe and peaceful Thanksgiving! I know, we all ate too much and are now forced to do exercise penance, but I’d do it all over again — and probably will next year! The holiday didn’t keep me from collecting some great articles, however, and for your reading enjoyment this week Claude Werner talks about changing his mind; the SIG Academy has a different way to talk about the relationship of sight alignment and ...

What a week it’s been since our last Hump Day! The attacks in Paris have been front page news since they happened, and Greg Ellifritz has some advice on such matters; the attacks will no doubt affect our own country’s election process, and Short Barrel Shepherd gives us some things to think about; my latest article on the Personal Defense Network blog has been posted; some very interesting information on the Soviet Stechkin pistol; some information about hearing protection; and ...

This is really a “Hump Day” for me — it’s been a hectic week! Not so hectic that I didn’t collect a few things for your reading enjoyment, however: Ian McCollum has a video about one of the very rarest Colt/Browning pistols, the Model 1909; Greg Ellifritz takes a different view of an active killer response; some myths about women and concealed carry; a high-tech way you might be helping people to break into your own home; some frank talk ...

Here’s the first Hump Day Reading list of November, and it’s got some gems: Greg Ellifritz talks about hardware vs. software; Claude Werner has a great detailed examination of the most efficient way to grasp an autoloading pistol; some more on the need to train in NOT shooting; Marty Hayes talks about the right to remain silent and what it means for your legal defense; an article about avoiding fads in carry gear; and Ian McCollum touches off a really ...

I recently read a blog post about a trainer who got into trouble talking about the “tap-rack” methodology for clearing malfunctions. It seems this person, as many do, added a step to the procedure: “squeeze” (or some term which implied pulling the trigger.) This resulted in a virtual spanking from the internet experts, who decried that pulling the trigger was never the proper ending to a tap-rack, and that it should be “scan”, “assess”, “move”, “decide”, “bang”, or something else.

Congratulations — you made it to another Wednesday! Here’s this week’s collection of tips, information, and enlightenment, including how you can best use online articles and videos in your skill development; what ammunition you should carry in your .38 Special revolver; some alternative thoughts about pistol caliber carbines for self defense; a new concealed carry pistol makes its debut; how to deal with a threat that’s in contact with you; and some fun bullpup rifle shooting!

I’m initiating a new feature here on grantcunningham.com: every Friday (or as close to every Friday as I can get) I’ll be bringing you the Weekender: a wrap-up of stories and links that I’ve found during the week, items that I believe you’ll find informative, inspiring, and sometimes even entertaining — all of them, of course, related in some way to the topics on my site!

When training defensive shooting techniques, it’s common — too common, in fact — to focus on the skill used rather than the task to be performed. Now some people will say that those are the same thing, but they’re not. In fact, they’re very different.

I recently read an article on the importance of and the procedures for practicing reloading a handgun. The article started from a bad premise (reloading during a fight is a vital skill when the best information ...

I really should stop reading stuff people link to on FaceBook. I really should. It’s like chocolate chip cookies; you know they’re bad for you, but you eat them anyway!

The latest was a linked article which talked about practicing your reloading skills. In it, the other repeatedly referred to reloading the gun as a “critical skill”. That phrase really annoyed me, because his definition of the term and mine were obviously radically different. In fact, I suspect he (like almost ...

The 9mm Glock 43 may be new on the market, but it’s already getting a lot of attention from both shooters and accessory makers. Here’s how to find out what’s available for this new “mini-9”!

The introduction of the single-stack, striker-fired 9mm Glock 43 pistol has been hard to miss. Everyone’s been talking about it and Glock even held a special event at the recent NRA Annual Meeting to introduce their latest pistol to the gun media. (Heck, even I got ...

What makes one firearm design more successful than another? Probably not what you think.

Ian McCollum at Forgotten Weapons posted an interesting video recently about a prototype BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) pistol that was produced circa 1920. The pistol, in .45ACP, was intended to garner a military contract which never materialized.

What I found most intriguing was the combination of design features it incorporated: the trigger mechanism reminiscent of an FN 1910, and a ...

It’s quite popular in the world of concealed carry (CCW) and defensive shooting to say that “all guns break”. As I’ve said before, that’s true — but some guns break more commonly, more predictably, than others.

However, even the best and most reliable gun, like the most reliable automobile, becomes less so as the round count (or the mileage) accumulates. That’s just a fact of life; all mechanical devices experience wear over time, it’s just that some of them handle that ...